Squeegee



May 10, 1938. B F BROWN Y 2,116,877

SQUEEGEE Filed June 1e, 1957 Patented May 10, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

i The invention relates to improvements in squeegees and in particular is directed to a squeegee adapted to be used intheso-called silk screen process for forcing the paint or other printing medium through the stencil.

The object of the invention is to provide a squeegee in which the holder for the exible blade is unbreakablalight in weight, does not warp or twist and always maintains the flexible-blade in a position to present a true straight edge'.

Another object of the invention is to mount the iiexible blade of the squeegee in a holder composed of separable parallel bars whichare loosely applied to the iiexible blade and clamped thereon by a separable handle or a plurality of handles. When the handle or handles are removed, the parallel clamp bars are readily detachable from the blade. V f

It is also an object of the invention to provide a squeegee which can be' made of any desired length and may be provided with one or more handles adapted to be slidably adjusted lengthwise of the clamp bars applied to the llexible blade and clamped securely into the selected position or positions respectively.

Still another object of the invention is to provide the squeegee with one or more detachable handles of such a construction that when the handles are mounted in position, they become effective to grippingly engage the separable bars which loosely engage the flexible blade to clamp the latter in position between said bars.

The invention has as another of its objects to make the handles and clamping bars of relatively thin sheet metal and to form these parts in such manner that the same may be manufactured easily and at a very low cost.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

1 is a perspective view of a squeegee construction embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the same, taken through one of the handles and the lscrew-type clamping means,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the detachable and adjustable handle of my squeegee, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the novel clamp bar employed in my invention.

The squeegee of the present invention comprises the following principal parts: The exible blade I, preferably made of rubber, two clamp bars 2 and 3 respectively, and one or more handles 4.

These clamp bars k2 and 3 are preferably made of sheet metal to make the device light in weight and are provid-ed with a cross sectional shape of 5 such a form to `prevent at all times any twisting or bending of the clamp bars.

Each clamp bar is made of a relatively narrow sheet metal strip which` 'is bent back and forth along spaced parallel lines extending lengthwise 10 of the strip to provide a number of portions 5, 6 and l, each two adjacent portions being preferably positioned at a right angle to eachother. One' marginal portion 8 of the strip is bent more sharply to form an abutment for one edge of 15 the flexible blade I. This marginal portion terminates-in an outwardly and upwardly extending marginal flange'g'.

Both clampbars 2 and-3are made exactly alike and when applied to the flexible blade I, as shown in the' Figs. l and 2, form together a channel for receiving one marginal portion of the blade I and engaging the same at opposite sides along at least two spaced parallel lines which are spaced from the point where the edge of the blade I engages and abuts the portion 8 of the clamping bars 2 and 3, respective-ly.

The handle or handles 4 are not only used for facilitating the manipulation of the squeegee, as for forcing a printing medium through a stencil 30 in a silk screen process, but also serves the purpose of clamping the two parallel clamp bars 2 and 3 to the flexible blade I.

Each handle 4 is preferably made of a wide sheet metal strip bent transversely into the shape 35 simulating an inverted capital letter U. The free ends of the legs I3 of the U-shaped handle 4 are provided with an inwardly projecting ange 9 adapted to enter into and engage the bottom of the groove formed between the two portions 6 4o and 'I of the clamping bars 2 and 3 respectively. The ilanges 9 are somewhat higher as the groove is deep. Any desired means may be provided for urging the legs I3 of the handle 4 into clamping engagement with the parallel clamp bars 2 and 3. 45

In the illustrated embodiment of the handle 4, the legs I3 are traversed by a pair of screw-type clamping means, each comprising a flat headed screw II engaging a companion sleeve nut I2 provided with a flat head I4 of the same size 5o as head I5 of the screw II.

These clamping means II, I2 are preferably arranged outside the range of the clamping bars 2, 3 and are inserted in the holes I6 provided ln the legs I3 of the handle 4. Owing to this con- 55 struction of the handle 4 and the arrangement of the clamping means I I, I2, the handle may be secured at any desired position along the channel formed by the two clamp bars 2 and 3, without removing the clamping screws from the handle.

The squeegee is assembled by first applying the two clamp bars 2 and 3 loosely to one edge of the exible blade I and then sliding the handles 4 endwise upon the clamp bars, the ilanges 9 of the handles entering the opposed grooves formed between the portions 6 and 'I of each bar 2 and 3 respectively. The screw-type clamping means I I, I2 mounted previously on the handle 4 have to be sufciently loose to permit this application ofr the handle. After the handle or handles 4 have been slidably moved into the desired position, the clamping means are tightened so that the free ends 9 of the legs I3 are urged toward each other and into clamping engagement with the clamp bars 2 and 3. The latter are urged hereby at the'same time in clamping engagement with the eXible blade I.

It will be noted that for the purpose of cleaning: the exible blade I, it may be completely detached from its metallic holder consisting of the clamp bars 2, 3 and the handle or handles 4. A flexible blade worn down to the point where it is no longer useful can be substituted quickly by a new blade which, if desired, may have a different thickness and width, and may also be of a diierent material. It is believed obvious that the metallic holder is practically indestructible and of unlimited life.

'Ihev squeegee of the present invention may be made of any desired size and length and depending upon its length, one, two or more handles 4 may be' used for operating the squeegee and clamping the flexible blade between the clamp bars. A very long squeegee, for instance, may be provided with four handles spaced from each other a suitable distance to permit two operators to seize the squeegee and operate it simultaneously.

Although the invention has been disclosed and described with reference to a particular embodiment, it is of course obvious that various modications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

What I claim is:

l. In a device of the character described, a pair of separate parallel clamp bars, a flexible blade arranged between said clamp bars, each clamp bar Consisting of a sheet metal strip bent back and forth parallel to its longitudinal axis so as to produce an abutment for one edge of said blade, to produce ribs engaging the sides of said flexible blade-along spaced parallel lines and to form a .groove on the outside of said bars, and a handle having means engaging said groove of both Aclamp bars, said handle being adapted to hold said clamp bars in clamping engagement; with said flexible blade.

2; In a device i the character described, a pair of separate parallel clamp bars, each bar having a longitudinal groove on its outer side and one of its longitudinal margins being bent angularly to form a shoulder, a exible blade arranged between said clamp bars and engaging the shoulder formed thereon, a one-piece handle provided with means for frictionally engaging said groove in both clamp bars and adapted to be slidably adjustable lengthwise of the same, and'means onsaid handle adapted to cause said frictionally engaging means to clampingly engage -said clamp bars solely along the bottom of said groove, whereby the bars clampingly engage said flexible blade.

` BENJAMIN F. BROWN. 

